Me and the Legion: An Exercise in Avoiding Fan Entitlement

Now that I've tried to balance my happiness at a Jason Todd ongoing with my sadness at the loss of Secret Six, I can turn my attention to my first connection with the DC universe--the Legion of Superheroes.

I first read it in the sixties when I was very, very young. Curt Swan on art. Brainiac 5, whose power was that he was smart. And Saturn Girl, who I still think of as one of the best comic-book role models ever for young women.

I read it in the seventies. In fact, I used to read it in study hall in high school in the later seventies. And I read it in the eighties. The Legion were adults now, for the most part, and by then I was as well. They married, even had children. Being removed from present-time continuity seemed to free them to age in a way that contemporary titles perhaps couldn't. (I suppose the "having children" thing would have led to trouble of that sort eventually.)

I read it into the early nineties. The "Five Years Later" storyline? Enjoyed that immensely. Really liked the relationship between Light Lass and Shrinking Violet. And I loved it when there were two Legion books going at once. Loved it. I got them both. I cared more about the one with the older, original Legion, but I read both.

Then the books stopped in '94, and of course I stopped reading them. (This was also Insane Nineties Time at Marvel, so in fact I gave up comics altogether for ten years or so.) I tried the reboot, with the new codenames and adjusted origins, and while it was a decent book, it just wasn't "my" Legion, the one I'd grown up with. I'm not being critical of it on that point, just saying that after a 25-or-so-year relationship with the original LSH, I just couldn't really get into the new book. I don't always connect to characters like that, but in this case I did, and reading the new stories with the similar-but-different characters just felt sort of pointless. (Yes, I know I'm saying I'm "that" sort of fan. I'm not always. But with the Legion, I guess I am.)

I did read a few issues of the newest version, the one with Supergirl, because my elder daughter wanted to get them. She didn't like it much, so we didn't continue with it.

Therefore I really quite liked the Lightning Saga when it came out, and the Legion of Three Worlds, and so forth. I had been kindasorta hoping for more of them, but it seems unlikely at this point. Of course if DC ever decides to give "my" Legion their own book, I am there--floppy, digital, and trade!

Buying comics in real life, or trying to

So every year or two, we leave our small town to visit relatives in The City. On these visits, we also try to do some shopping that we can't easily do at home. This includes bargain shopping for the kids (accompanied by hopes that they don't grow any before school starts in a few months). It also usually includes trips to two or more comic book shops.

Today was to be comic-book-shop day, so we took off and drove to one of our favorite stops.

Closed. I got out to look at the door, and it said--specifically--"Closed, not reopening." That's too bad, they were one of the few places I've seen in recent years that kept a large selection of back issues in longboxes. Kindly, it also included a recommendation for another comic shop to try ("the closest, and the best" said the sign). This shop was also on our list, so we went there next.

Closed. No sign.

If we'd been less fixated on comic books, we might have given up then.

However, we instead found a phone book, called the second shop, and were given the new address a few blocks away. Much bigger store, and I picked up a few things. I suspect it's one of those shops where some folks would feel ignored--a group of regulars was gathered around the register chatting, etc. Luckily, as a comic reader of 40+ years, I'm not shy about barging in on that sort of thing, and they were perfectly friendly once I had. (The fact that I take the position of "Age is Strength!" doesn't hurt either.) They didn't have what I was looking for in particular, though. (It was the trade of Red Hood: Lost Days, if you must know!)

So we made one more stop, where I found what I wanted and more besides. Nice shop, very customer-friendly.

Today's lesson, then, is that if you're a comic shop and you've moved, don't assume that because your regulars still know where you are, you're not losing any money. I'm sure I'm not the only one who--when visiting a city--makes a point of checking out the comic shops. And even if I'm only there once a year, I might be spending some bucks--in fact, because I'm only there once a year, I'm likely to be spending some bucks. Don't make it hard for me to find you!

Final (yeah right) reboot thoughts

I am a character-driven comic book fan. Not in the sense that I'm a fan of character-driven comics (though I suppose that could be true as well) but in the sense that it's the characters that drive my interest in a book.

This is probably why, historically (and when you're my age you do get to use the word "historically" when describing your life) I've always preferred group books. From Fantastic Four to Avengers to Legion of Super-Heroes to X-Men, the majority of the comics I picked up every month were group titles. Most of the longer runs in my collection are group books. There are a few reasons for that, but one in particular comes to mind right now

In a group book, if a favorite character is eliminated or changed radically, it's likely that there will be other characters who interest me still in the book. Hawkeye leaves the group? Well, damn...but still, Scarlet Witch! In a solo title, say back when Tony Stark was replaced as Iron Man by Rhodey, that could have been a deal-breaker--although that's a poor example in my own case because I really liked Rhodey in the armor--but still, point made, right?

On the other hand, back when Fantastic Four was my favorite book (the pre-teen years, this was), if they had killed off the Human Torch, I might have stopped buying it because at that time none of the other characters were all that interesting to me. (They were all "old." :P)

So, is a reboot of a character likely to turn me off enough to make me lose interest? Well...maybe. Let me think about that while I type.

Now, I do feel a little silly when I say that I understand why someone would be angry that a favorite storyline no longer "counted." Isn't a good story a good story regardless? What about Elseworlds or What Ifs or imaginary stories?

Well, sure, a good story is a good story. But if you're reading a What If? story, you file it away a little differently in your mind, or at least I do. You don't mentally add it to the stack of information on that character.

And reading serialized literature isn't like reading a stand-alone piece. On some level, anything that has to do with a particular character, unless you know it's explicitly out of "canon," is really only a chapter in the life of that character. In a narrative sense it becomes part of that character's life experience. It informs their opinions of and future interactions with the other characters in that storyline.

I suppose it's going to be a case-by-case thing, whether a particular aspect of a reboot irks me to the point where I throw up my hands and say "oh, s/he's not even the same person!" So, if suddenly Tim Drake never met Connor Kent? That's an enormous change in both characters, because their friendship was a significant one that affected not only what they'd done but how they had developed as characters. I'm not a big Tim fan, but if I were, that's something that would probably bother me, because a Tim who never knew Connor is not the same person.

Heck, I'm not even particularly a fan of either character, and that seems pretty clear to me.

So am I going to jump ship on titles or characters I like due to a reboot? Probably not. But maybe. We'll see.

How ever did I miss this?

So, cruising the comic internet today, I came across this phrase in a discussion of DC's September plans: "day and date digital releases to match the shipping dates of physical comics."

Okay, yeah, I still want my trades and/or hardcovers. I don't really like reading comics online. Put it down to old eyes.

But when it comes to finding out what's happening in my favorite titles when the books actually come out? I am weak. So, so weak.

Not buying the floppies is easy. But to be able to get a peak at the latest Secret Six on The Day? Instant gratification?

I don't know if I can withstand that temptation.

How many DC books will I be getting come September?

I read some DC books once in a while when I was a kid, but on the whole I was a Marvel girl. The sole DC title I followed was Legion of Superheroes and they weren't particularly affected by any crises, apart from the death of Supergirl, who wasn't a regular character there in any case.

I really didn't start to read DC books until I was an adult, and yes, it was the fault of the internet, why do you ask? :) So it was after the original Crisis reboot when I got my start. My vague childhood memories of Hal and Barry didn't interfere at all with my later appreciation for Kyle and Wally.

So, like my lifelong experience with Marvel, my shorter time with DC has given me a reasonably continuous...continuity. :) Marvel does tweak its history--a 21st-century Iron Man simply couldn't have gotten his start during the Viet Nam war--but he's still Tony Stark, and pretty much everything that's been printed in his comics is still a part of his canon history.

Now, I don't know how others feel about it, but to me the serial aspect of comic books is a great part of its appeal. A comic book or (more modernly) a story arc corresponds, in my mind, with a chapter of a book that I'm still reading. So if I start a new chapter and it tells me to ignore everything that's gone before? I won't be happy. But that's me.

But you know, keep all the Green Lanterns and I'll keep getting GLC. Keep Gail Simone on Secret Six and I'll keep buying it regardless of what happens there. I'll be tremendously disappointed if Superman becomes a bachelor or if Jason Todd is rekilled. (OTOH if Red Hood gets his own book I will probably break my no-floppies rule.)

So am I going to buy 52 DC books a month or the associated trades? Um....nope. Will anyone? I imagine someone will.